Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 1231

Kyunroe Subjugation (23)

“Adjust the position by connecting Gate 3 to connection point 13.”

“The battle at Gate 7 is too intense. Isolate that battlefield and rearrange the surrounding area.”

“Simultaneously connect corridors 65, 342, and 3 to the 831st intersection. I’ll push the outer area towards the northwest.”

Kugugugugu!!!!

Following Jenny’s commands, the labyrinth’s structures, numbering in the thousands, shifted in real-time, changing direction.

The massive corridor ceilings and walls, rooms, gates, and connecting parts, all spanning dozens of meters, moved within the nebula.

Damaged areas were replaced with intact facilities, and battlefields were isolated to prevent the surrounding areas from being affected.

Complete manipulation and control of the labyrinth’s facilities was only possible for Jenny, who had formally inherited the Uroboros magic system [a magic system focused on manipulating space and structures].

Sweat trickled down Jenny’s face as she focused on manipulating the labyrinth using the halo [a magical interface or device].

“There’s too much to manage… I can’t focus on every part of the labyrinth at the same time…”

The military forces had entered the 49th district and were approaching the labyrinth designed by Lenok.

Currently, hundreds of battles were occurring in real-time throughout the labyrinth.

Forces from the subjugation [the attacking force] and allied forces were clashing everywhere her consciousness reached.

She was observing most of the battles in the labyrinth in real-time, distributing and adjusting the positions of the gates and forces.

Although the Magic Tower staff were assisting Jenny, she was the only one who could directly manipulate the labyrinth.

The workload was far too much for Jenny to handle alone.

“Administrator…”

“…No. Not yet. I can still do more.”

A staff member, who had brought the real-time battle reports, wiped the sweat from Jenny’s forehead.

Jenny, unable to take her eyes off the screens broadcasting from all directions, spoke quickly.

“I’m going to re-prioritize the battles taking place throughout the labyrinth. I’ll focus on the important areas and exclude those without casualties.”

Not all of the battles in the labyrinth in the 49th district involved her tower colleagues.

Some were against the statues of the long-lived species that Ban had created in advance, while others were against the Legion’s special forces.

Battlefields where allied forces were not being depleted were excluded from the priority list, and she would intervene and adjust the dangerous or high-priority battlefields first.

The tower staff, who immediately understood Jenny’s words, began briefing with tense expressions, holding the organized reports from all directions.

“The most intense battle is at Gate 4. It’s a battleground where Tower Lord Torben is clashing with a Legion commander.”

“Transcendent beings who have reached level 8 [a high level of power]. Both of them have aggressive personalities that don’t care about their surroundings. They’re destroying everything in sight.”

“The nearby labyrinth is being swept away and destroyed around the battleground, making it impossible to approach. We should minimize our side’s intervention…”

Kwagwagwagwagwang!!!!

The epicenter of the clash was a flash of blue lightning and sword light.

A giant thunder god with an inflated body and silver-white slashes intersected, twisting and obliterating space-time.

Even to Jenny and the tower staff, who were not versed in combat, it was a battlefield where more dangerous power was rampant than anywhere else.

The staff, who were sweating profusely, quickly switched the screen with Jenny’s help.

“Tatiana and an elder from the Blaver Magic Tower have begun fighting. The largest-scale spells are being deployed simultaneously on this battlefield…!”

“Corridors and facilities within hundreds of meters have been transformed into a volcanic zone. The internal temperature is rising rapidly. The current heat resistance of the labyrinth won’t last long.”

Hwareureureuk!!!

Hot flames surged through every corridor connected to the gate.

Beyond that, in the center of the inferno, two red-tinged shadows grew in size and clashed with each other.

“6th Legion Commander Atiya is chasing Dylan. We can’t keep up with the speed!!”

“A true ancestor vampire from the Demon Realm has encountered a Blood Cannon. 35 stone statues in the nearby labyrinth have been destroyed.”

“Mila is clashing with Roberide of the 3rd Legion. A large-scale shockwave is occurring around the battle area…!!”

Along with the staff’s reports, the figures of the superhumans fighting in all directions of the labyrinth flashed by in succession.

Some were running through the complex labyrinth facilities in a chase, some were scattering sticky blood barriers in large-scale spell battles, and some were moving injured people while massacring soldiers blocking their path.

Among the staff who were observing the battlefield with tense expressions, one’s face lit up.

“Felix Magart has defeated the 2nd Legion Commander at Gate 8. All subordinate siege units have been neutralized!!”

“Felix-nim…!!”

“Ooooh!!”

“He did it…!!”

The first major victory report among the fierce battles taking place throughout the labyrinth.

It was a great achievement to kill the head of a legion, not just the remnants of subordinate units or forces.

We can win.

At that moment, when the staff in the depths of the labyrinth all shared a similar thought, Jenny spoke quietly.

“Esteban Eisen, the tenth seat of the Ability Awakening Squad, has broken through Gate 10, which was guarded by Claude Azlan, and is entering the depths of the labyrinth…”

“……”

“His ability is level 8 mercury manipulation. Is he the owner of the airship Nung-hwa, which was stationed outside the 49th district?”

In the atmosphere that had suddenly turned cold, Jenny calmly examined the screen.

“The 5th seat of the Ability Awakening Squad. He’s far ahead of the others in the labyrinth right now. He’s a dangerous person…”

“He’s the ability user who is the supreme commander of the Ability Awakening Squad in this war.”

“Aphelia’s direct selection for the subjugation force, so he wouldn’t be ordinary…”

The ten innate ability users who were the highest-ranking members of the squad, guarding Aphelia Ionics Zaeldark.

Except for the top three, the other ten seats were evaluated similarly to the Legion Commanders of Dead Rise.

Esteban, the 5th seat who participated in the subjugation, should have been at a similar level to the Legion Commanders according to the prior evaluation.

Nevertheless, Esteban was currently approaching the center of the labyrinth faster than anyone else.

Was it because the commander directly selected by the Empress was such an outstanding superhuman? Or was it because his ability itself was specialized for this kind of battlefield?

While Jenny was lost in thought, other operators quickly organized and reported the surrounding battle situation.

“As the administrator said, the battle situation is not favorable everywhere in the labyrinth.”

“The mercenary group led by Drey Creamgal is facing the Legion Phantom Squad at Gate 14. They are at a disadvantage…!!”

“The 3rd mechanized corps has entered Gate 6, which is guarded by the undertaker Cyrus. Specific battle situation is unobservable.”

“Aris Richelen has won against the clergy of the cult at Gate 2. Immediately after, she has started a battle with Dr. Atermeyer of the Demon Realm…!!!”

“……”

The screens broadcasting in real-time from all directions flickered and then faded away with noise.

As the superhumans clashed throughout the labyrinth, the aftermath of their power began to obscure the battlefields.

Jenny, who was looking at the last screen that went out, stood up with a firm expression.

“Administrator?”

“Soon, this place will also be detected by other transcendents. We need to prepare to move as well.”

“But…”

“I’m manipulating the labyrinth facilities using Uroboros, but that doesn’t mean I can see all the battle situations.”

Jenny began to organize her surroundings with quick steps as she spoke.

“Among the superhumans participating in the subjugation, there are definitely some who have avoided our observation. We can’t get caught by them yet.”

“……”

“Especially that manipulator from Pandemonium… For a moment, he had spells comparable to Ban. He’s definitely one of the most dangerous variables in this war.”

The existence of the manipulator wearing a black obsidian mask, whose face could not be seen.

Although he had only revealed himself for a moment, there was no one in this labyrinth who did not remember his existence.

A special-type spellcaster who had clearly imprinted his appearance throughout the Balkan region with just a single intervention as he entered the 49th district.

Jenny, biting her lip with an anxious expression, looked at the remaining time and said,

“We need a little more time to finish preparing for Ban’s return… In the worst case, we might have to become bait.”

“…Understood. We’ll prepare immediately.”

“We will clean up the traces here and move.”

The tower colleagues, led by Jenny, were guarding the labyrinth to help Ban, as discussed in advance.

It was to buy time until Kyunroe, who had directly entered the battlefield of the subjugation, ‘returned’ to the 49th district.

However, the enemies who had entered the 49th district were more powerful than expected, and it was impossible to cover them all with their current forces.

Rather, it was a miracle that they had managed to block the paths by moving the labyrinth structure and facilities so far.

It was due to the intervention of Gilleon’s authority, who had not participated in the subjugation, but Jenny had no way of knowing that.

Nevertheless, Jenny was trying her best to do her best in the given situation.

“Burn all the operation plans and reports that have been printed out. Put everything that doesn’t burn into the shredder.”

“Don’t forget to put all the data disks into the degausser [a device that erases data from magnetic media] and destroy them!!”

“We’ll use artifacts to completely erase our presence and scent. Everyone, take your catalysts [items that enhance magical abilities]!!”

“I’ll spray chaff through the ventilation ducts to avoid detection spells.”

Following Jenny’s words, the staff, who were moving busily in all directions, quickly cleaned up the surroundings.

The mountains of documents and papers disappeared, and the entire messy room was cleaned up.

Jenny also put the documents into the shredder with the other staff, cleaned the floor and walls, and removed the remaining traces.

With the help of artifacts and manuals, they finished cleaning up in 5 minutes and got up, packing their bags.

“Okay. Let’s move right away.”

Jenny, who had observed the labyrinth using the Uroboros magic system, immediately set her destination and opened her eyes.

“We’ll go to the opposite side of the labyrinth by passing through two gates. I’ll open the gate right now, so everyone prepare-”

Kwaaaaang!!!!

At that moment, the shared wall shattered, and a wooden snake with its body tattered appeared.

A huge strategic weapon with bizarre spell characters engraved all over its body and large wings.

However, its appearance was completely burned and crushed, looking so miserable that it seemed like it would collapse at any moment.

[Kkioooooooo!!!!]

At the desperate cry of the wooden snake, everyone standing in the room froze as if they had been petrified.

From under the snake’s wings, a nonchalant male voice echoed.

“Ah, I finally found you.”

“……”

A voice that should never have been heard, given that all the passages and paths leading here had been cut off.

At the end of the gazes of the people who turned their heads creakingly, a man with a sparse beard was standing.

A soldier wearing a worn-out black military uniform, clearly belonging to Dead Rise.

However, everyone here, including Jenny, knew his face.

The great spellcaster who had been fighting fiercely in the sky above Kyunroe and the outer district until just before.

One of the most dangerous variables that Jenny had been wary of, who had not shown his face anywhere in the labyrinth until now.

The third commander of the Legion.

“…Baragan.”

“What, you know who I am?”

Ignoring the frozen people, Baragan released the wings of Quetzalcoatl [a reference to a Mesoamerican deity, here a magical construct] and landed in the room.

Whoosh-

He nonchalantly jumped over the staff, who were on high alert, and closed the distance.

A movement that no one gathered here could even perceive, let alone react to.

In that one moment, the others realized the gap that existed between them.

“You guys must be the ones who were directly manipulating and coordinating the entire internal facilities of this labyrinth, right?”

Baragan looked down at the people who had stiffened in place and smiled.

“I thought you’d be somewhere. My guess was right.”

“…How.”

“From the moment I saw the labyrinth facilities in the 49th district, I thought the structure here was ridiculously complex.”

Baragan answered casually to someone’s muttered words.

“It’s not just moving the labyrinth facilities, but also changing the environment in real-time, including air pressure, temperature, magic density, and spirituality. This is a complex task that would be impossible unless you were switching absolute and relative coordinates within the territory.”

“……”

“I don’t know well, but to manipulate the labyrinth, it wouldn’t be enough to just switch coordinates. It would be impossible unless you completely reconfigured the surrounding environment and adjusted it to fit each connection point of the labyrinth.”

As a transcendent who had risen to the position of commander as a spellcaster, he had vaguely grasped the principle and structure as soon as he entered the territory.

To be precise, it was more accurate to say that he had realized how unrealistic the way Kyunroe’s territory existed and had recognized the sense of incongruity.

“The subordinates of Kyunroe guarding each gate were stronger than I thought, but I didn’t think they were all smart enough to understand the complex design of this labyrinth.”

Baragan smiled with his hands in his pockets.

“There must be guys somewhere who are assisting and coordinating the manipulation of the labyrinth facilities… It’s reasonable to think that way. Isn’t it?”

“……”

Even though Kyunroe’s colleagues guarding the 49th district were superhumans with no lack of ability, not all of them were outstanding spellcasters.

Baragan had come to the conclusion that not everyone could understand the complex structure and manipulation method of the labyrinth.

At the same time, he had been moving with the thought that there would be people somewhere ‘in charge’ of adjusting and manipulating the labyrinth.

The insight and intuition of a transcendent, a level 8 great spellcaster who had inherited the secret spells of the Compendium [a collection of magical knowledge] directly.

That was why Jenny had been wary of the transcendents who were not observed in the labyrinth, but she was one step too late.

“So, I was swimming outside the nebula, risking permanent damage to Quetzalcoatl, looking for you guys… It took longer than I thought. Thanks to that, the losses are not small.”

Baragan slowly loosened his hands and said,

“I’ll have to get this price directly from you.”

“Who started the war first…!!!”

Ssaeeek!!

With a sharp voice, one of the staff members who had hidden his presence rushed towards Baragan from behind.

A physical ability user in charge of security among the tower staff. He was from an assassination organization that had mastered stealth techniques to an outstanding level.

The moment he moved silently behind Baragan and swung his dagger to cut Baragan’s neck from the carotid artery.

The staff member’s body was flung far away, scattering blood with a tremendous roar.

Bbeoeoooong!!!!

“Keok…!!”

A miserable sight of convulsing and spitting blood with half of his head caved in.

The atmosphere in the room turned cold at the sight of their colleague who had been instantly turned into mincemeat.

“Ah, I forgot to mention.”

Baragan, who had not even turned around and had smashed the assassin’s head, said,

“I’m not in the mood to hold back right now. I was just beaten to near death by the crazy magician you guys serve.”

“……”

“A bunch of guys who were loyal to Ethan died… If it weren’t for Quetzalcoatl, I would have been in a similar situation.”

Baragan’s gaze towards the staff was chilling.

“There was a word that researchers and staff of the tower should not be killed if possible, but at this point in the subjugation, what does that mean?”

“……”

In the suffocating silence, Baragan slowly moved his steps.

“If I kill all of you here, you won’t be able to play with the labyrinth anymore. Then, the scattered allies will also be able to reach the center of the labyrinth someday. But…”

With a tap, Baragan stopped walking and looked around at the staff who were standing stiffly.

The moment he saw Jenny, who was pale and standing among the staff, Baragan stopped moving abruptly.

Baragan, who had met the gaze of Jenny, who was glaring at him with a cold expression, narrowed his eyes.

“Yeah… It would be a lie if I didn’t notice even after seeing it with these eyes.”

“……”

“Jenisia Bajur.”

Baragan slowly, as if savoring the name, called out quietly.

As if it was hard to believe this moment when he was facing Jenny directly.

“You were really alive. And on Kyunroe’s side.”

The highest-ranking general within Dead Rise. A sacred bone from the Balkans. A person involved in the project.

Since meeting Peisha Greeceburn, Jenny had encountered the second colleague of Kaise.

A spellcaster who remembered what happened after the project failed, carrying the karma of Dead Rise, was revealing his belated impressions as he looked at Jenny.

“…Baragan. I don’t know what your relationship with Bajur is.”

Jenny retorted coldly.

“Don’t call me that way. I have no attachment to that name.”

“Aha, is that so?”

Baragan laughed without paying attention.

“But even the way you glare at me is just like your grandfather. You are definitely Kaise’s granddaughter. Now that I see it, I know for sure.”

“……”

“Actually, I didn’t think Ethan’s plan was very meaningful… But seeing you directly, I can’t deny that my thoughts are changing.”

Baragan slowly moved his steps towards Jenny.

“You look so much alike… Enough to make even me feel nostalgic. I thought I had forgotten everything now.”

“What the hell…”

“So, I’ll make you a proposal.”

Baragan, ignoring the staff who were on guard and blocking his path, reached out his hand and said,

“If you come with us, I’ll spare the lives of the others here. How about it?”

“…What?”

Jenny frowned momentarily at the unexpected proposal.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to say… Are you trying to persuade me even after coming all this way?”

“Persuade?”

“The outcome of the subjugation has been decided. What can be changed here is not by you, but only by what Ban decides directly.”

Jenny said to Baragan, who was tilting his head, not hiding her wariness.

“Even if… Ethan intervenes directly now, nothing will change.”

“…Ah, that’s right.”

At Jenny’s words, who had difficulty saying that name, Baragan put his chin on his hand.

“I thought that Ethan’s daughter would know it for sure, but you didn’t know yet?”

“What?”

“No, maybe they didn’t tell you on purpose. But if that’s the case, I don’t understand it even more…”

“What are you talking about?”

“Well, I didn’t think I would be saying this now.”

Baragan laughed as if he was amused and turned his gaze.

“But you’re right. It doesn’t matter anymore since we’ve come this far.”

“What the hell are you-”

“Jenisia Bajur. Your existence is the reason why the Legion is trying to obtain you through the subjugation, and it is the very legacy that Ethan left behind.”

While Jenny was frozen, Baragan said with his hand outstretched.

“And you are the only ‘success’ of the Black Consumer Project that Ethan completed by sacrificing his life.”